The Six Yogas of Naropa - Phowa (6/6)

 

The Six Yogas of Naropa (Sankirt. Saḍdharma, "Naro's six doctrines" or "six teachings") are a set of advanced Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa (1016–1100 CE) and passed on to the Tibetan translator-yogi Marpa Lotsawa (c. 1012).

Another name for the six Dharmas is "the oral instruction transmission for achieving liberation in the bardo," or "the Bardo Trang-dol system." Bardo here refers to the three bardos of waking, sleeping, and dying. They are also referred to as "the path of means" (thabs lam) in Kagyu literature. They are also sometimes called the Six Yogas of Naropa (though not in the traditional literature, which never uses the term ṣaḍaṅga-yoga or sbyor-drug). 

The six yogas are a collection of tantric Buddhist completion stage practices drawn from the Buddhist tantras. They are intended to lead to Buddhahood in an accelerated manner. They traditionally require tantric initiation and personal instruction through working with a tantric guru, as well as various preliminary practices. The six yogas work with the subtle body, particularly through the generation of inner heat (tummo) energy.

The six yogas are a main practice of the Kagyu school (and were originally unique to that school), and key Kagyu figures such as Milarepa, Gampopa, Phagmo Drugpa, and Jigten Sumgon taught and practiced these yogas. They taught in the Gelugpa lineage and were introduced by Je Tsongkhapa, who received the lineage through his Kagyu teachers. 

Overview of Preliminary Practices - For example, Milarepa is quoted by Tsongkhapa as stating that the first one establishes the basics, "such as refuge in the three jewels and the two aspects of Bodhicitta." Tsongkhapa also quotes poems by Milarepa, which show that he held that one should first practice contemplating the nature of karma, observing the faults of sensuality and samsara, as well as meditate on kindness and Bodhicitta.  

In all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, there are various preliminary practices drawn from the common Mahayana that are prescribed to students before beginning the practice of completion stage yoga (such as taking refuge, Bodhicitta aspiration, guru yoga, deity yoga, and dedication of merit). The details of this depend on the lineage, school, and individual teacher. 

The six yogas of Naropa are meant to be a comprehensive and holistic collection of the completion stage practices of Indian Buddhist tantra. In Kagyu and Gelug, initiation or empowerment into at least one Anuttarayogatantra system (generally Cakrasaṃvara and/or Vajrayogini/Vajravarāhi Tantras) and practice of its Generation Stage are the bases for practice of the six yogas.

The six yogas though variously classified (from just two to up to ten dharmas), the most widely used list of six yogas in the work of the Kagyu school figure Gampopa conforms to the following list: 

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1) Tummo - The Yoga of inner heat.

2) Osel - The Yoga of luminosity or radiant  light.

3) Milam - The dream Yoga.

4) Gyulu - The Yoga of illusory body.

5) Bardo - The Yoga of intermediate stage.

6) Phowa - The Yoga of transference of consciousness at the time of death.

Phowa - The Yoga of transference of consciousness at the time of death, it is a tantric practice found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It may be described as "transference of consciousness at the time of death," "mindstream transference," "the practice of conscious dying," or "enlightenment without meditation. In Tibetan Buddhism, phowa is one of the six yogas of Naropa and also appears in many other lineages and systems of teaching.

What is phowa meditation?

Phowa literally means transference. In phowa practice, the consciousness of a person is transferred to enlightenment, or a higher state of being.. It is often practiced or applied by spiritual people at the time of death.

What is the practice of Phowa?

Phowa is a special ceremony to help those who have recently died experience peace of mind after death and be cared for by the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara.

What are the benefits of Phowa?

Practicing and studying phowa leads to the purification of the consciousness. Phowa is especially important to release from worldly attachments that can hold the spirit back and offer liberation. It can benefit all sentient beings.

What is the phowa of three recognitions?

Ordinary “phowa of three recognitions"recognition of our central channel as the path; recognition of our consciousness as the traveller; and recognition of the environment of a Buddha realm as the destination.

Lama Thubten Yeshe taught on the subject of phowa that "we have to choose the right time to transfer our consciousness; we’re not allowed to do it at the wrong time because that becomes suicide."

The method can be applied at the moment of death to, according to Vajrayana Buddhist belief, transfer one's consciousness through the top of the head directly into a Buddha-field of one's choice. By so doing, one bypasses some of the typical experiences that are said to occur after death.

Signs of success, The mark of a successful phowa practice is a small drop of blood directly from the centre of the vertex at the top of the head. To demonstrate a successful practice, traditionally, kusha kusha grass was pushed into the small opening created in the fontanel. According to Khenpo Tsultrim Lodrö, the “mark of a successful phowa is that after death, there is visible hair loss, a bump, or some yellow liquid seeping around the vertex” at the crown of the head. 

Footnote

For those who have received the empowerment of this Tantric practise, you are reminded not to intentionally or unintentionally disclose the mantra to the public or anyone who may not have the empowerment or permission to practise, and disclosing the mantra intentionally or unintentionally is a form of breaking your Tantric Samaya vows to the lineage masters and Dharma protectors.

 
Please consult your Guru or a qualified lineage master for Vajrayana practise! Should a devotee even want to start studying and contemplating the Vajrayana practise, then it is truly necessary to first have completed the preliminaries and to be certain that Bodhicitta has arisen and developed in one’s mind.
 
Vajrayana features countless skillful and powerful methods that, if practised in the proper way, can make the process of accumulation and purification incredibly swift and direct. It is absolutely necessary to have pure motivation and to know that Vajrayana practise is not carried out to increase one’s own ego, power, or self-interest.  

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

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